Breguet Watches

Watch Snob: Can A Real Man Wear A Swatch?

Succumbing to Rolex

A year after emailing you and choosing between a million watches, I finally succumbed to Rolex. It boiled down to the men’s Platinum Yacht-Master or the steel and gold GMT Master II. Since I still possess my Vacheron Quai de L'Ile (rose gold) and my PAM 111, I decided to go for the YM for the clean, everyday watch look. Did I make the simple right choice or should I have upgraded to the new Yacht-Master II?Succumbed to Rolex indeed. Out of a “million” watches, a man who owns a Vacheron Constantin ended up choosing not only the lazy option but the worst watch in their collection? The Yacht-Master is nothing more than a re-badged Submariner in platinum, a watch that presumably was branded to fit a sailing niche that Rolex didn’t have.As for the Yacht-Master II, while it possesses a truly innovative complication (that no one will use), it is the second ugliest watch Rolex has sold (the leopard Daytona being the worst). At least you didn’t waste your money on that one. If you truly wanted a clean, everyday watch, and couldn’t look beyond Rolex, the simple Oyster Perpetual or clichéd Datejust would have fit the bill.

Breguet Watches

After a long career in military service, I am finally retiring and moving on to civilian life, and I would like to celebrate this milestone with a watch purchase. I know that you hold Patek, JLC, AP, and A. Lange and Söhne in high regard, but I haven’t heard you speak much about Breguet. I understand that it's part of the Swatch conglomerate, but has it kept enough of its horological heritage alive so as to be on par with the aforementioned marques? It can be difficult to distinguish the truth from clever marketing. Your familiarity with the recent as well as distant history of watch companies would be most helpful, since I consider the pedigree of the timepiece I select to be a key factor in my purchase decision.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

There are two brands that are part of the Swatch conglomerate that are worthy of more than a passing glance: Glashütte Original and Breguet. The reason is that both companies are left alone by Big Brother enough to allow them to express themselves through the development of fine manufacture movements and a respect for their history. While you should have no illusion that Abraham-Louis Breguet’s DNA is anywhere close to the current company’s watches, Swatch has preserved enough of the design language and philosophy of Breguet to keep its watches feeling authentic without resorting to mere gimmicky homages.Of course, if it were my choice, I always opt for true independents like Patek, but if your heart is set on Breguet, just be sure to choose the right one. While the Type XX is a fine sports watch and may be fitting for your military background, the derivative chronograph movement is nothing special. The Marine line seems trendy to me and not fitting for a haute horlogerie brand like Breguet. No, instead opt for a simple piece from the Classique collection. The engine-turned dials and fluted case sides will make you feel like you bought pedigree even if you didn’t.

Question from a Watch Knob

I am writing to prove you wrong. Yesterday I bought a Seiko 5 watch for under a hundred bucks, including the tax, and guess what — it is automatic, it is a movement fully manufactured inside the Seiko facilities, and it totally looks like a Rolex Explorer, and it totally measures 39 mm. So what do you have to say about that?Including the tax? Well, knock me over with a feather. Congratulations, you have indeed proven me wrong. How, after all of these years gushing over watches from these so-called “high-end" Swiss pretenders, have I failed to overlook the fine timepieces coming out of the Malaysian factories of Seiko? After all, who needs craftsmanship, decoration, innovation, or even a watch that keeps time to within a minute a day? All overrated when one considers the prospect of owning a timepiece that looks like a Rolex for less than an entree at Le Bernadin. Thank you for enlightening me, kind sir. Totally.